Merge, split, extract or reorder: choose the right PDF tool

Choose by the result

• Merge PDF: several input PDFs become one PDF.
• Split PDF: one input becomes several PDFs in a ZIP.
• Extract Pages: selected pages become one PDF.
• Organize PDF: a typed list changes page order, drops pages or repeats them.

None of these operations redacts words inside a retained page. If your goal is to hide confidential information, removing unrelated pages is not sufficient.

Work through a four-page packet

Download the three-page report and one-page appendix below. Select the report first and the appendix second in Merge PDF. Inspect the file list, run the tool, and confirm that the appendix appears as physical page 4.

To send only the report's first and third pages, use Extract Pages on the report with 1,3. To create separate PDFs for report and appendix from the merged packet, use Split PDF with custom ranges 1-3,4, then extract the downloaded ZIP.

Understand page numbers before typing ranges

Tools use physical positions starting at 1. A cover counts, even if its printed page number is absent. A viewer may display a label such as iii or A-1 while the tool still needs the page's position. Count from the start of the actual file.

For Organize PDF, 3,1,2 places page 3 first; 1,1,2 duplicates page 1. Inspect the output rather than assuming a typed range selected the intended chapter.

Inspect boundaries, signatures and file size

Check the first and last page of each source segment, total page count, rotation and paper size. Merging can mix portrait, landscape and differently sized pages. It does not make their layouts consistent or automatically compress them.

Editing a digitally signed PDF can invalidate its signature. Preserve originals and confirm the recipient's requirements before modifying signed documents. If size becomes a problem, compress only after assembling and verifying the packet.